…a lifestyle blog telling the stories that make up my life with five girls and one boy and a husband who tags along.

The first of many

He wanted a snack. He asked for toast and since I’m desperate for him to eat anything, I ok’d it. He toasted it, got out a knife and buttered his toast himself.

I’m really proud of how far Jamie has come in the last couple of years. He’s learning how to be independent, how to be responsible and how to be a good friend.

Confession: I’m crazy-defensive of James. There’s no need for me to be, I know. He’s very content with himself. He doesn’t try and impress anyone and he is confident in his abilities and his personality. I should be the same way, I know, but here’s a fact (I’m full of them lately): parents want other people to like their kids.

I want people to love Jamie as much as I do. I want them to respect his personality and embrace his quirks. I want them to see his mopey face and literal interpretations and know that’s what makes him Jamie and love him for it. I think this is hard for most adults. It’s SO easy to look at kids like Alice and Maria who are always happy and excited and aim to please and instantly love them. Discovering Jamie takes a little more time and effort, that is just the truth. But believe me when I say it’s totally worth it. He’s so smart. He’s sweet and hilarious and clever. He’s the best boy in the entire world and smart and good people know it.

So while I’m usually incredibly defensive of Jamie and almost (almost) always have a reason why he misbehaves , there are also times when I’m very aware he’s just being a stinker. When I know he’s making poor choices and not being the most pleasant student. That’s why I ask his teachers every day how he did.

Today….he made poor choices.

I asked him how his day was and he told me about it (which he always does) and I told him that when we got home, he needed to write an “I’m sorry” letter. I’m sure it’ll be the first of many letters this year. If there’s one thing I do well as a parent, it is that I teach my kids to be responsible for their actions and that there are consequences for bad ones.

Jamie thought up every word himself:

“Ms. Ellen. I’m sorry for being rude today. I’m sad I did that. I’m sure it makes you feel sad when I act rude.”

There’s an identical one for Mr. Matt.

Thank you, Mr. Matt and Ms. Ellen for helping me teach Jamie to be a good little human. And thank you for taking the time to discover Jamie and how wonderful he is. In return, I’ll make sure you get all the “I’m sorry” notes you deserve. 😉